DATE: 7-20-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter. You may remember that — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul gets to the “so what” beginning in chapter twelve. Meaning he addresses how all of the theology — found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. Or — at least — how it should influence the way we live. That’s the journey we began earlier this year with Paul’s big “therefore” statement — when he writes…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In light of the theology he’s taught us — Paul now tells us to live our lives as sacrificial offerings to God — where our lives are acts of worship that make our God look glorious to the world. And the way our lives can make God look glorious to the world — that Paul addresses in our verses for today — leads us to what will most likely be the most controversial subject I’ve ever preached on as the pastor here. More controversial than the gift of prophecy or predestination — more controversial than church membership or infant baptism. For Paul’s showing us what not being conformed to this world looks like in some of the touchiest parts of life. 

With that — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter thirteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter thirteen today — looking at verses one through seven. There Paul writes…

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

What this text teaches is pretty straightforward. Today we’ll cover what Paul is saying — at a high level — as we remind ourselves of the situation in which he’s writing these words — and we’ll also explore an important doctrine we must believe in order for what Paul’s teaching us to make any kind of sense. 

Next week we’ll return to this passage — because — though it’s straightforward and clear — applying this text is where things get hard. So we’ll spend next week talking about some implications of this text and how we’re to live differently both — when we’re in authority — and when we’re under — or in submission to — authority. 

Then — the following and final week of looking at these verses — we’ll address the authority questions that everyone asks: When must we obey authority and — the more popular question — when can we disobey authority?

Now — if you’re here and wouldn’t call yourself a Christian — know that — for the next few weeks — we’ll be talking politics — but not how you might think. When we talk about submitting to authority — one area of life where this can’t be ignored is in the area of government. That’s why I said this may be the most controversial subject I’ve ever preached on because — generally speaking — politics is a religion in our country. And we’re a nation with many who are fully devoted followers of the Republican and Democrat religions — I mean — parties. 

So — warning — politics is going to be brought up. Yet submitting to authority applies to many other areas of life beyond politics — the home, church, where you work, and so on — so we’ll briefly touch on these areas of life over the next few weeks as well.

Again — next week we’ll focus on those in and under authority. And — the week after that — we’ll address some of the implications and scenarios and “what about’s” that you’ve probably thought of when it comes to submission and authority. I wish I could get right to these questions — but we have to lay some biblical groundwork first — and my guess is that you’ll thank me for breaking this up over multiple weeks rather than trying to address it all in one really long sermon.

So here’s our goal for today. Today I want to — first — explain the text: what is Paul saying and what was going on in Paul’s world when he wrote these words? Then I want to focus on an important doctrine this text teaches us that we must believe in order to have any hope in knowing how to apply what our verses teach.

What is Paul saying? And an important doctrine for us to believe.

PAUL’S POINT

First — what is Paul teaching us in this text? Let’s just read the entire passage again.

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

So what is Paul saying? He starts with a mandate: “Let every person” — meaning every single person — including you and me — “let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” 

In making this mandate, Paul places an obligation on his original readers — and given that this is in the Bible — the obligation applies to all Christians — including those of us who follow Jesus today. 

• We who live in the United States. 
• Christians who live in the United Kingdom. 
• Christians who live in China. 
• And Christians who live in North Korea. 

This mandate applies to all Christians. Which makes what Paul mandates both straightforward — and — incredibly challenging.

As one pastor writes…The strength of this statement intensifies when we realize that Paul was talking of a very non-Christian government—the pagan Roman empire. The “authorities” Paul has in view were at best unfriendly, and at worst actively hostile, toward the church. The increasingly secular west is only just beginning to experience the level of hostility that first-century believers faced; the 21st-century persecuted church experiences it every day. It is this type of “state” which Paul tells the Christian to submit himself to. The default position of the Christian (every Christian) to the state (any state) is to submit.

Now this mandate isn’t too rattling when you’re a Christian living in the United States and the individual you voted for is in the White House. But then we go all cray cray when the other party’s candidate wins — “not my president.” So let’s take a step outside of our small United States of America world and think of the Christians who live in North Korea. How can Paul — inspired by the Holy Spirit — make such a mandate that applies to Christians living in North Korea?

His justification comes in his next sentence where he states that “there is no authority except from God.” This will be the foundation for the doctrine we’ll look at in a moment — but this biblical truth — this doctrine when believed — is how Paul’s mandate is obeyed. 

• Without a firm understanding of — and belief in — this doctrine — that all who are in authority are there because God has put him or her there — we will not obey this mandate — which is sinful, by the way. 
• We won’t live the changed life that our faith says we can live. 
• Because the fuel for our “being subject to the governing authorities” — whether we live in the US, the UK, China, North Korea — or — the Roman Empire in which Paul lived when he wrote these words — is believing that “there is no authority except from God.”

Yet — not only did Paul live under the rule of the Roman Empire — he’s writing this letter to Christians who live in the city of Rome — the city where the Roman Empire gets its name from. So — earlier — when Paul wrote…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

…these Christians in Rome would’ve immediately had questions about how all of this “not conforming to the world” stuff applies to their relationship with Caesar. For Paul has essentially told them, “Don’t be conformed to the Caesar worshiping world that you live in the midst of.” And they’re probably all like, “Well how does that work, Paul?”

About twenty years earlier, Jesus was asked something similar. Here’s what happened.

Mark 12:13–17 ESV

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

Here’s Jesus’s point: Pay taxes to Caesar, but don’t worship him. And worshiping him can include an absolute allegiance and unqualified obedience to him. But — as Christians — there’s only One we worship. The early Christians understood this and constantly ran into trouble when the leaders of the Roman Empire realized that they believed they were required to submit to an authority higher than the emperor. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith — our denomination’s doctrinal standard — summarizes all of this with…

God, the supreme Lord and King of the whole world, has ordained civil authorities to be over people under him for his own glory and the public good. For this purpose he has armed civil authorities with the power of the sword to defend and encourage those who are good and to punish wrongdoers. (WCF 23.1)

It cites our verses from Romans chapter thirteen — as reference — and also First Peter chapter two, which says…

1 Peter 2:13–14 ESV

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

We read commands like this from Peter and are immediately concerned with the lack of a loophole. Every human institution — including the emperor? The emperor, the boss, the husband, the church leadership — and yes — even the people you didn’t vote for. Yes — both Peter and Paul agree. 

But the Christians living in Rome would’ve been just as shocked as you by such a statement because the Roman emperors they’ve lived under were not good men. These weren’t godly, God-fearing, emperors.

During the time Paul wrote this letter, things were fairly peaceful for Christians in the Roman Empire. Yes, the Jews were persecuting them, but the Roman Empire had yet to amp up its persecution of Christians. That will come a few years after Romans is written. But — as we see in Acts eighteen — which takes place about five years before Paul writes Romans — some Christians had been kicked out of Rome and we’re not exactly sure why. But what this tells us is that the relationship between the Christians and the government was deteriorating. 

Paul would’ve been aware of all of this — Peter too. Which is why Peter and Paul both have to explain why such submission is required. Peter says we’re to submit “for the Lord’s sake” and Paul says we submit “because all authority is established by God.” These two statements show us that our response to authority will either reflect positively or negatively on Jesus and what we believe about him. That’s what’s at stake with our submission to authority.

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

Which leads us to the important doctrine of our text — a doctrine that’s meant to give us confidence as we submit to authority — regardless if we live here in the US or in nations where Christians are persecuted. The doctrine our text highlights is the sovereignty of God. One resource I use defines the sovereignty of God as…

The biblical teaching concerning the absolute, irresistible, infinite, and unconditional exercise of God’s self-will over every area of his creation. (The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia)

Christians like to debate about humanity’s free will. God’s sovereignty means that he has a will too — and his is free — in fact — God’s free will is freer than any of ours — that’s what it means for him to be God and for us to not be.

We find God’s sovereignty in verse one of our chapter — where Paul writes…

Romans 13:1 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

God — in being sovereign — has established every government that has ever existed — all governments today and all governments throughout history. And — in being sovereign — he has also brought to an end every government that no longer exists.

But it’s not just Paul who claims God’s sovereignty over those in authority. For we read…

Proverbs 8:15–16 ESV

15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; 16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.

And…

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he (God) turns it (the king’s heart) wherever he will.

Or take the prophet Habakkuk who’s book begins with…

Habakkuk 1:1–4 NLT

1 This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. 2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3 Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4 The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.

I’ll paraphrase Habakkuk’s words for you: God, things are not good! Are you going to do anything about it?

And here’s God’s reply to Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 1:5–11 NLT

5 The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. 6 I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands. 7 They are notorious for their cruelty and do whatever they like. 8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs and fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their charioteers charge from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey. 9 “On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand. 10 They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them! 11 They sweep past like the wind and are gone. But they are deeply guilty, for their own strength is their god.”

Be honest. If you were Habakkuk — how would you have responded to God? Imagine our country tanking. Economic tanking. Morality tanking. Spiritually tanking. Emotionally tanking. Relationally tanking. Imagine everything just going down, down, down. So you pray to God. Imagine God answering you with, “OK. I’ll do something. I’m going to have China invade the US and completely take it over.” Now you understand what God just said to Habakkuk.

The God you believe in — does he have this kind of sovereignty over the nations? Can he raise up cruel and violent people to bring about his judgment — even if the judgment is on his people? For God — in being sovereign — can use any and all human authority to accomplish his purpose. A wicked nation, an evil ruler, a candidate from the other political party — all of them can be used by God to execute his will here on earth — because — he is sovereign.

Take King Jeroboam —a wicked man who wouldn’t listen to wise advice. Where’s God’s sovereignty when a wicked man becomes king? It’s right here.

1 Kings 12:15 ESV

15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

King Jeroboam’s decision leads to the division of Israel — one nation becomes two. And why did this happen — why did Jeroboam make this decision? So that the word of the Lord would be fulfilled.

Centuries later — when Nebuchadnezzar — who had defeated and conquered the people of God — has a dream about a statue — Daniel tells him…

Daniel 2:37–38 ESV

37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold.

This pagan — “people of God conquering and enslaving king” — was given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory — by — the God of the people whom he had conquered. How about that? 

Does the God you believe in have this kind of sovereignty? Can he use the other political party’s candidate or some other nation’s ruler to accomplish his will? He’s done so in the past — with wicked and evil kings. For — as Nebuchadnezzar will later be told…

Daniel 4:25 ESV

25 seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.

A truth about God’s sovereignty that — not only a pagan king needs to learn — but a truth we all need to learn. God rules the kingdoms and nations and states and homes and churches and marriages of mankind. He puts in authority whomever he wills.

We love our freedom — here in the US — but do we believe that — even our freedom — is under God’s sovereignty? This is something we must not forget.

Nebuchadnezzar’s nation will eventually fall to Persia and its king — Cyrus — who the prophet Isaiah recorded these words about nearly two hundred years before Cyrus would reign as an earthly king.

Isaiah 45:1–13 NLT

1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. 2 This is what the Lord says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. 4 “And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. 5 I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me, 6 so all the world from east to west will know there is no other God. I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. 8 “Open up, O heavens, and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. I, the Lord, created them. 9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ 10 How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’” 11 This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: “Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? 12 I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command. 13 I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people— without seeking a reward! I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

There’s comfort to be found in this doctrine. Because we believe that God is directing the hearts of all who are in authority — even when those in authority make decisions you disagree with — you can trust in the outcome. For if God could lose control over those leading Babylon or Persia or Israel — or if he’s lost control over those leading North Korea or Iran, China or Afghanistan or those who lead the Democrat or Republican Party — then he’s not sovereign. And a God who’s not sovereign isn’t a god worthy of our worship. For only a sovereign God can give you confidence like Joseph — to say…

Genesis 50:20 NLT

20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Joseph said this to his brothers who had sold him into slavery hoping they’d never have to see him again. He’s framed. He’s imprisoned. He’s forgotten. And — yet — God “intended it all for good” — that’s Joseph’s way of describing God’s sovereignty.

Earlier in Romans — Paul describes God’s sovereignty this way.

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

“All things work together for good” — all things — including those who are in authority over you. I mean if — as Paul goes on to say…

Romans 8:31 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The implied answer being, “No one can be against us.” And as he continues…

Romans 8:35–39 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What authority — and who in authority — can separate you from God’s love? No one. But don’t miss — and maybe this time it’ll feel a little heavier to you — but don’t miss Paul’s words, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we’re regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

Even when those in authority kill and slaughter God’s people — God’s sovereignty doesn’t waver. Because — in every circumstance — those whom God has put over you in authority is part of his good plan for you.

CONCLUSION

Which shouldn’t surprise us — for we follow Jesus who — when…

John 19:10–11 ESV

10 Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above…”

Pilate may not have recognized where his authority came from — but Jesus knew. And Pilate’s authority — which he used to crucify Jesus — was under the sovereign power of God. 

And more important than Pilate’s authority or the power of any leader of any nation is the authority of Jesus Christ — the Sovereign One. For he — after having defeated death — said…

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus — the King of kings and Lord of lords — is reigning and ruling and orchestrating all things so that his will is accomplished — in the world — and in your life.

And here’s what I hope you’re hearing — for this is where this little mini-series on authority is going to take all of us who follow Jesus: My hope is that we’ll all begin to see with greater clarity — how our view of authority — both when we’re in authority — but especially when we’re under authority — how our view — and more importantly — our obedience to the authority God has placed over us — at home, at work, in the church, in our nation, and so on — I hope we’ll all see how our obedience to the authority God has placed over us is a reflection of our submission to him — more than it’s about our submission to them. 

Your obedience to authority — if you believe Jesus — or your lack of submission to authority — reveals more about your submission to God than it does to whoever he’s placed over you. For he is the One who has placed all authority in your life. And the “therefore” life — that Paul’s showing us — is a life that’s submitted to the authority of the only Sovereign God —a submitted life to God which displays itself by submitting to the authority he’s placed over us. When we live in North Korea. Or China. Or the UK. Or here in the US. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you are sovereign — in control — orchestrating your plan and purpose for your creation. Nothing and no one is outside of your sovereign authority. No king or queen. No prime minister or president. And none of us. For you are God — you are sovereign — and we are not.

Holy Spirit, our sin has caused us to distrust and rebel against authority — including yours. We believe ourselves to always be right, to know what’s best, to not be accountable to anyone, and so on — all lies. Forgive us of such arrogance and pride.

And — Jesus — all authority in heaven and on earth is yours. And we trust you to do what is right, what is best, and what is for our good. You’ve never given us a reason to doubt your goodness or trustworthiness — so we choose — right now — to trust. And we do so admitting that it’s so hard — for we want control. So thank you in advance for being patient and gracious with us. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you go submitting yourself to the authority of the One who is Sovereign — trusting that he is working out all things for the good of his people. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 11:1-10 (ESV)

‌DATE: 1-5-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And if this happens to be your first time to worship with us — or if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

After a short break for Christmas — we’re returning to our series in the book of Romans. We returned to Paul’s letter back in September of last year and — we did so — after taking a two year break from the letter. So — if you’re new to Gateway — I’d encourage you to go to our website — gatewayepc.org — and check out the previous sermons from Romans to get caught up.

When we were last in Romans — we’d just finished the tenth chapter where Paul ends on a high note of excitement about the gospel. The gospel — or the Good News as it’s called — is the news of what Jesus accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection on behalf of those who turn to him in faith. 

• He lived the perfect life we were commanded to live — yet failed to do so. 
• He obeyed every one of God’s commands given to us — commands we’ve disobeyed. 
• He didn’t rebel against his Father’s will — like we all have — but fulfilled God’s will and did so even when it cost him his life. 
• And Jesus did so in love for his Father and for those who would turn to him in faith — and repent of their sin — who trust in his work on their behalf — and give up trusting that they can earn God’s love — and who believe that he alone is Savior — as they give up being their own savior.

Those who do this are — who Paul calls — the children of the promise. Those who experience freedom from the bondage we’re all born into — a bondage to sin, to rebelling against God, and to Satan — God’s and our enemy. For no one is innocent — none are neutral — either God is your Father because you believe in Jesus and are living accordingly — or — Satan is your father because — no matter what you say you believe about Jesus — you’re living in a way that pleases the one who finds great delight in your eternal destruction.

Thus the reason for Paul to end on such a high note: The children of the promise — all who believe in Jesus — have been set free. They’ve been made alive and are awakened to God’s immeasurable love for them. Good News indeed.

And — since it’s been a few weeks — it’d be good for me to remind you that Paul is answering a question that’s on the minds of his original audience. You see — the wonderful news I just shared with you — was originally a promise given to the Jewish people. In fact God’s Messiah — a word that means Savior — was prophesied — or promised — to be a Jew. And Jesus was a Jew and he came to fulfill the promise of God’s Messiah.

Yet many Jews didn’t accept Jesus as God’s Messiah. They didn’t believe in him — they rejected him. They knew what he was claiming — it wasn’t that they misunderstood Jesus or didn’t catch that he was saying that he was God’s Messiah — they understood him clearly and said, “Not on our watch” — and they had him murdered. And Paul’s readers — many who had Jewish backgrounds — were trying to figure out why so many of their family members and friends had failed to believe in Jesus.

That’s the heart of the chapters we’ve been in and will continue in today and in the coming weeks: why did so many Jews not believe in Jesus? And Paul’s shown us that their rejection of Jesus was not because God’s Word had failed. For the promises to the Jewish people — according to Paul — had been promises given to the true Israelites — not to all who were ethnically Jews — but were promises given to a chosen remnant among the Jews.

Paul then goes on to defend God’s sovereignty in choosing some to be part of this remnant — what he calls — the children of the promise. For God chose Isaac — not Ishmael. He chose Jacob — not Esau. He chose the enslaved Israelites — not Pharaoh. God — in his sovereignty — chooses those whom he will save to be his people.

Which leads Paul to address the question of fairness. Does the fact that God chooses some to be the children of his promise of salvation — and not all — does God’s choosing some make him out to be unfair? Absolutely not — according to Paul.

To which Paul — knowing what our response will be — makes it clear that — though God chooses those who will be children of the promise — those not chosen are still responsible for their sin and rebellion. Paul’s pushing against an idea that’s quite common — the idea where we think that God — if he’s going to be merciful towards some people — is required to be merciful towards all people. And Paul makes it clear that God isn’t required to be merciful towards any of us — for we’ve all sinned and fallen short of his glory — therefore we all deserve his judgment. Thus — if we want to talk about fairness — us all experiencing God’s judgment would be the only thing that’s fair.

Thus what should astound us isn’t that some are judged by God because of their sin — instead — we should be amazed that God is merciful towards anyone. Yet this often appalls us — even those of us who have a high regard for Scripture. Yet our being appalled is due more to secular thinking than what we read in God’s Word. For secular thinking tells us that we’re the final judge on how things should be. So we switch roles and play judge of God — questioning him for being merciful only towards some — as if his mercy is something we all deserve.

And — yet — and please don’t miss this — his mercy is something that many do experience. Can we marvel at how amazing it is that any of us experience God’s mercy? And the reason any of us do is because God — though sinned against by us who he created to honor him by living in obedience to his Word — and though it would be right for him to only dispense his judgment upon all of us — instead — God has said to many, “You are my beloved. Yes — you — though you don’t deserve it — you will be called my people — my child — my son or my daughter.” And if God did not keep for himself a remnant — none of us would be saved. 

Yet we’ve also seen that we really do believe — we do respond. Even though faith — or belief in Jesus — is a gift given to us by God — it is our faith. This is why we’re to share the gospel with others — because God uses our sharing of the gospel to be the means by which others are given new life — a spiritually awakened and resurrected life — where they respond to the news about Jesus by believing in him.

And Paul’s been making the case as to why — now — the remnant — God’s chosen people — the children of the promise — includes both Jew and Gentile. Though we find hints of this in the Old Testament — through the stories of Rahab, Ruth, and others — now it’s clear that God’s plan has always been a salvation for people from all nations. Which leads us back to the original question Paul’s addressing: But what about the Jewish people? Is God done with them? Which leads us to our text for today. 

If you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter eleven. We’ll be in Romans chapter eleven — beginning in verse one. There Paul writes…

Romans 11:1–10 (ESV)

¹ I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. ⁷ What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, ⁸ as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” ⁹ And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; ¹⁰ let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to answer three questions. One — has God rejected Israel? Two — who are the chosen? And — three — who are the hardened? Has God rejected Israel? Who are the chosen? And who are the hardened?

HAS GOD REJECTED ISRAEL?

Let’s begin with our first question: Has God rejected Israel? Let’s return to verse one.

Romans 11:1–2a (ESV)

¹ I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2a God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

So Paul makes this easy for us. He gives a clear answer to our question: has God rejected his people? His answer is no! And people — here — refers to the Israelites. We know this because this is who Paul refers to at the end of chapter ten where he writes…

Romans 10:18–21 (ESV)

¹⁸ But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” ¹⁹ But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” ²⁰ Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” ²¹ But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Now — many of you know this — but maybe someone listening doesn’t: chapter and verse numbers aren’t original to the Bible. Meaning Paul didn’t include chapter and verse numbers in his letters — none of the writers of the Bible did. That’d be weird, right? Do you write a letter — or an email or a text — with a bunch of numbers in it? Of course not! Neither did Paul. Chapter and verse numbers were later added to make it easy for us to all find the same place in the Bible. And — most of the time — chapter and verse numbers are very helpful. But there are times when it’s easy to miss a connection because of a chapter break — like that the word “people” refers to the “Israelites”.

Alright — back to our regularly scheduled sermon: So Paul answers our question succinctly and leaves no room for debate. God hasn’t rejected the Jewish people because — Paul says — “I’m a Jew. I’m a physical descendant of Abraham. I come from the tribe of Benjamin.” Paul’s saying, “If God had rejected all Israelites then I wouldn’t believe in Jesus. But I do. So I’m proof that God hasn’t rejected his people.”

So Paul is clearly speaking about the ethnic people of Israel here — not the church which is made up of Jews and non-Jews — but of ethnic Israel. We know this because Paul’s point is that he’s an ethnic Israelite. So there’s no replacement theology going on here. For those who don’t know what that means it’s a theological view that believes the church has replaced the Jewish people. Paul doesn’t leave room for that here as the case he’s been making is about ethnic Jews being rejected by God. And — Paul says — Israel hasn’t been rejected.

THE CHOSEN

‌Which leads us to our next question — an extremely important question: Who then are the chosen? Who are the chosen? We’re now in verse three

Romans 11:2b–6 (ESV)

^2b Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴ But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Who are the remnant — the people chosen by God’s grace to be the children of the promise. And the promise here — the hope — is that God guarantees that he’ll always keep a people for himself.

And to illustrate this promise — Paul takes us back to the time of the prophet Elijah. He quotes from the book of First Kings but leaves out a bit of what Elijah said. Here’s what we read back in First Kings.

1 Kings 19:14 (ESV)

¹⁴ He (Elijah) said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

• Another Bible translation says, “I’ve been absolutely loyal to the Lord.” 
• Another says, “I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.” 
• Another says, “I’ve been working my heart out for God.”

So there’s no doubt — in Elijah’s mind — that he’s been committed — maybe even super-committed — to God. It’s like he’s saying, “God, I’m the last faithful person to you left on planet earth — and now my enemy is about to kill me. Is this really how you’re going to let things end? Because — if I die — no one will be left who worships you!”

Now — if you don’t know Elijah’s story — first — he’s repeated this statement to God twice before this moment. So this is really on his mind — that he’s the last faithful person on planet earth. So God teaches Elijah a lesson on faithfulness. And it’s this lesson that Paul uses to show his readers — and us — who the chosen are and why they’re the chosen. 

Paul quotes God telling Elijah, “I’ve kept for myself seven thousand men who’ve not bowed the knee to Baal” — Baal was a false god in Elijah’s day. And — to be clear — what God is saying is, “I’ve made sure that these seven thousand people have remained faithful to me.” God ensured that they remained faithful — they were a remnant — chosen by grace.

So if like Elijah — if you feel like you’re all alone — remember — our God does not change. He who was faithful in Elijah’s day — who kept for himself a remnant — is the God who kept a remnant in Paul’s day — and is the God who keeps a remnant of faithful followers today. You’re not alone — but it’s easy to think you’re all alone if you’ve isolated yourself from other Christians.

Remember — Elijah had run away — he was hiding in a cave in isolation. Your cave may be physical, relational, or emotional — but if you’re hiding and keeping others out — and you can come to church and still be hiding in a metaphorical cave — if this is you — your feeling of being all alone may be due to you having isolated yourself from God’s people. And — if you’ve been around Gateway for any number of weeks — you’ve probably heard how we desire to be a family around here. But you’ll never feel like you’re part of our family if you stay hidden in whatever cave you’re hiding in.

But I hope your heart rejoices with the news of God’s faithfulness to keep for himself a remnant — a chosen people — a people chosen by grace. That he’s determined to keep for himself a faithful people and has the power and authority to ensure it happens. Though pastors may come and go — though churches may rise and fall — though the spiritual condition of our nation may be one or revival or revulsion — how assuring it is to know that God will always keep for himself a faithful people.

THE HARDENED

And now we turn to the hardened — who are the hardened? This is our final question. Let’s look in verse seven.

Romans 11:7–10 (ESV)

⁷ What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, ⁸ as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” ⁹ And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; ¹⁰ let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

Who are the hardened? The rest — Paul says — those who are not the elect — or the children of the promise. Ethnicity isn’t what matters when it comes to being right with God — though the Jews in Paul’s day thought that’s what mattered. What matters is whether or not God has called you to be part of his chosen people and your response to his call.

And I know how this leads us right back into the thick of the theological messiness once again. We want it to be where either God is sovereign — where he chooses those who are the elect — or we’re responsible — where we choose to believe in Jesus or not. But the Bible doesn’t give us the option to choose between the two. God is sovereign — he chooses those who are his elect people — and — all will be held accountable for their response to the gospel.

Here Paul quotes from Isaiah where the prophet writes…

Isaiah 29:10 (ESV)

¹⁰ For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).

This was said as a warning to the people of Judah who were living in rebellion to God. It was a prophetic call to repent of their sin and rebellion or face the consequences of God’s just judgment — part of which would include — and this should cause all of us to pause — God pouring out on them a spirit of deep sleep — a spiritual deadness. Prophets not prophesying — seers not receiving visions. And I say that this should cause all of us to pause because this is a gracious warning of what God will do to those who refuse to repent — who are comfortable going about life rebelling against him. It’s a very spiritually dangerous thing for God to give us what we want — when what we want isn’t him. And this warning was given to people who thought they were the chosen.

Then — in verse nine — Paul quotes from Psalm sixty-nine. In fact — he’ll quote from this psalm nine times in this chapter of Romans. When we take communion later — the psalm will be read so you see how it connects to the life of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.

Retribution means “to get what one deserves” — and it can refer to reward or punishment. So here — Paul — in quoting from Psalm sixty-nine — indicates that the Jewish people who rejected Jesus will be punished accordingly. This means they are guilty — and God will hold them accountable for their unbelief — just as he will hold all people accountable for their unbelief.

The quote continues with “and bend their backs forever.” The idea — here — is carrying a heavy load. Doing hard, impossible, kind of work. This counters the earlier idea of the table — where there’s feasting. For that table of feasting was actually a trap. The table represents the good things of life. Gifts from God that we allow to become traps and stumbling blocks as we allow his gifts to become more valuable to us than him.

But this is what happens to those whose hearts are hardened towards God. There’s this going back and forth between feasting and delighting in the things the world sets before us — sex, money, fame, toys — and this burdensome task of works-based salvation — of trying to please God by obeying a set of rules. Where — instead of responding to God’s grace — his unearned favor offered to us in Jesus Christ — we either live indulgently — finding fulfillment in the things of this world — or live under the burden of trying to hike our way up to heaven — believing we can earn God’s love. This is the picture of the hard heart. I wonder if any of this resonates with someone listening? If the people of Israel could be hardened — we’d be foolish to think that we can’t be hardened too.

CONCLUSION

So what are we to do in response to all that we’ve learned today? First, if we want to know God and have an intimate relationship with him — we have to take him at his Word — on his own terms. We’re not in the driver’s seat — we don’t get to dictate to him how he should be, how he should act, or how he should relate to us — especially when it comes to repentance, faith, and living accordingly. Either we take God at his Word or we’re nothing more than idolaters who’ve created our own false religion. How seriously are you taking God and his Word?

Second, we’ve learned a magnificent promise — a promise we’ve been reminded of again and again while in Romans. The promise is this: If God failed to keep his promise to Israel — then he’s untrustworthy. If God failed to keep his promise to Israel — then we have no reason to believe that his promises to us can be trusted. ‌If God failed to keep his promise to Israel — our hope that he’ll keep his promises to us all falls to the wayside.

But here’s the good news: God’s promises to Israel did not fail. That’s the point Paul’s been making. 

• When the Jewish people rejected Jesus — God was faithful — he kept his promise. For Paul — a Jew — believed in Jesus. 
• When Elijah thought he was all alone — God was faithful and kept his promise — seven thousand others were kept by God — they remained faithful because he had chosen them. 
• And — today — no matter what the news headlines or your social media feeds may say — no matter if 2025 is a year of promotions and engagements and pregnancies or layoffs, divorces, and deaths — God will be faithful. And he’ll keep for himself a remnant — a people chosen by his grace — who will be faithful to him.

Which means — third —  if you believe in Jesus — be joyful! For the God of grace has saved you. And let grace be grace — stop trying to earn it. When you wake up in the morning — remember — I’m saved by grace! When you go to work — remember — I’m saved by grace! When you drive your kids to school — remember — I’m saved by grace! When you’re at home — remember — I’m saved by grace!  When you come to church — remember — I’m saved by grace! Whatever the day, week, month, or year may bring — remember — I’m saved by grace! And live accordingly. Praise God. Find joy in him. And respond to his love by loving him in return. For — if you believe in Jesus — you are the chosen — and you have been saved by grace! Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, what wonderful, glorious news: We’re saved by your grace! Thank you for your grace today. Thank you for your grace tomorrow. Thank you for your grace all the days of our lives.

Jesus, your life, death, and resurrection are the reason why we experience grace. May we never forget — but always remember and live accordingly — that your work is what has secured us in the grace of God.

And — Holy Spirit — may you — by your grace — awaken hearts among us. Your good news has been heard and may you lead many in response to it. A response of faith — believing in Jesus — and repentance — turning away from their sin. May you soften hard hearts — giving them a love for Jesus. And we pray all of this in his name. Amen.

Date: 10/7/2020

Release date: 10/13/2020

Lighting Round

1. How do you choose to name or not name a pastor/theologian in your sermons? And why?

2. Does Josh regularly indulge in the viewership of the quality children’s program known as Veggie tales?

Questions

1. I have been hearing various people throughout our church talking about the Enneagram.  We’ve done some surface level reading about it (the Gospel Coalition has a good article describing the history and recommendations on how Christians should approach it). We’d like to hear your thoughts on not only the pros and cons of the Enneagram, but also how we as a church should communicate our relationship with it. We have had a number of conversations with people in and out of the church where it has come up, and given that it has history in some unbiblical sounding things (Islamic mysticism, the occult, etc.) we’d like to make sure we aren’t confused about how our church might be using it. Does it align with and reaffirm God’s Word? If not, should it be used as a tool for discipleship? I believe that we can learn from secular things, but the concern is more of the origins and perception.
   1. TGC articles
      1. I love TGC, but feel like they sometimes feel pressure to put out an article on everything even when they haven’t really done their research.
      2. Kevin DeYoung did a review of one enneagram book (my least favorite of all enneagram books). 
      3. Joe Carter did one of his FAQ posts on the enneagram that linked to some rather strange places (like oceanmoonshine9.wordpress.com, which is titled “the enneagram…info from the underground. An anonymous website that was created in 2005-06).
      4. Both seem to imply that Christians should be cautious with the enneagram as a personality tool because of its origins (we’ll talk about that in a bit) and offer other personality tools that they recommend. But one of those personality tools was created by an Episcopal priest who was married four times. 
      5. The final post on TGC, gives a great reminder, but coats it as a warning: Make sure the Bible doesn’t get replaced with a personality tool. Of course we don’t want to do that. We also don’t want TGC to replace the Bible either.
   2. Enneagram origins
      1. No one really knows for sure. My wife was assigned a paper in her Master’s Counseling program on the enneagram and had to research its origins. And after her research her conclusion was, “While original roots of the enneagram are a bit mysterious…” and then went into all of the different possibilities of where it began. Including what TGC states as the origin.
      2. But the point is that there are lots of theories as to when and where it began. So my caution would be to watch how we read into the origin of it with whatever bias we have towards the enneagram (or whatever bias we’re getting our information from — like TGC).
   3. Receive, Reject, Redeem
      1. Myers-Briggs creator based her personality test on theories by Carl Jung. He’s someone who wrote a book called Answers to Job where he claims that Job is more morally upright than God. And that God will have to incarnate again with man — like Jesus — but this second time instead of being good, this incarnation will be the evil side of God. So that’s some of the influence behind the Myers-Briggs personality test that I’m sure most everyone has taken. Yet we’re so far removed from the origins and have seen its usefulness that we’re not concerned about all of that.
      2. 1 Kings 11:1-13 (King Solomon worshipped other gods and was punished by God for his disobedience; do we reject or even question what he wrote? “But it’s in the Bible…” which means that God can use someone who worshipped false gods to write Scripture, so why can’t God use someone today to write things that will benefit us?)
   4. What is the enneagram?
      1. To keep it simple, it’s a personality profile tool.
      2. What makes it different is how it targets the motivations behind why we act and do the things we do. 
      3. These motivations can be unhealthy (sinful) or healthy (godly).
      4. The tool doesn’t excuse sin, but for many folks it helps them to get past behavior modification to really dig into why they do the things they do.  
   5. Personally
      1. Most helpful personality tool for my wife and I in our marriage.
      2. Other personality tools have us being the same personality. And we always knew there was something different. Myers-Briggs, strengthsfinder, DISC, etc…we were always the same. But with the enneagram, we discovered that we are different!
   6. Staff
      1. We spent a year as a staff using the enneagram as a personality profiling tool.
      2. Becoming more self-aware and understanding how to work with each other better.
   7. Recommended resources
      1. 9 Types of Leadership by Chestnut
      2. The Complete Enneagram by Chestnut
      3. Personality Types by Riso and Hudson
      4. The Path Between Us by Stabile
      5. Self to Lose Self to Find by Vancil
      6. Typology podcast
      7. Leeann and Michelle (youtube)

2. When Acts 13:48 says, “All who were ‘appointed’ (chosen) for eternal life believed,” is that not confirming predestination? Not that anyone knows who was preselected so to speak, if that is so. On another note is that saying once saved always saved?
   1. Confirms predestination? It definitely supports it. 
   2. Once saved always saved.
      1. This is different.
      2. Order of salvation.
      3. Romans 8:29-30
      4. Hebrews 7:25

Date: 10/22/2023

Justin’s questions:

• 1) Ruth was a Moabite, outside of God’s chosen people. Do you think God used outsiders like Ruth occasionally to show, even before Jesus, He could and would use those people that demonstrated faithfulness, even it was unexpected and outside of the Jewish people?
  • That’s one possible reason. 
  • Another option, which came to my mind, is God’s demonstration early in the Bible that his chosen people would include all nations (not just the Israelites). The Israelites were his chosen nation — chosen to be a light to the world — to attract non-Jews to the One true God. So we catch glimpses of this in Israel’s history — Rahab and Ruth, are two examples — but ultimately the nation of Israel failed to be the light they were called to be. 
  • Thus, Jesus came as the true Light of the world and would have conversations with, for example, a Samaritan woman by a well one day to make clear that God seeks worshipers of all people who worship in Spirit and in truth.

• 2) The Israelites were not to intermarry with foreigners, yet Boaz marries Ruth. Was this overlooked by the fact the elders wanted to care for Naomi / Ruth?
  • Boaz was fulfilling the role of kinsmen redeemer as Ruth was already married into a Jewish family through her first husband. So I don’t know that Boaz was breaking the foreign wife rule as much as fulfilling his role as kinsmen redeemer. That’s not to say that Ruth being a foreigner wasn’t an obstacle — it was! — but more of a culturally acceptable obstacle rather than a Jewish law one.

• 3) Since we can judge quickly on looks, how can we get better at not doing this? What can lead two friends, for instance, to getting beyond the surface and getting to know each other’s hearts?
  • Pray: God give me eyes to see myself and others as you see us through Jesus Christ. Help me to see them as they will be for all eternity and not simply as who they are now.
  • It’s amazing how this prayer has changed my view of people. You’ll still see their flaws and shortcomings, but you’ll see God’s grace in their lives and who he’s guaranteed them to become.
  • Getting beyond surface level requires having a passion for Jesus and each other that’s beyond surface level. I think that often a lack of passion for Jesus and each other is due to our passion being spent elsewhere.

• 4) You (Josh) encouraged us to not let words bounce off of us. How do you practice this or how would you encourage others in this? For example, you tell us that you love us and God loves us each and every week. How do you let these words not become just another phrase for you?
  • Know yourself. For example, I know that I’m way too quick to dismiss encouraging words and will hold on way too long to criticism. So I’m learning to receive encouragement from others — especially when someone thanks me for my ministry and how God is using me. I don’t want to be ungrateful to God for how he uses me and I’ve found that my response to others’ encouragement is directly related to my gratitude to God for using me. 
  • As far as loving you all, a practice that’s been really helpful over the past few years has been writing a few thank you cards each week to folks who serve at Gateway. I have Ed and Morgan, over at our North Main Campus, and Becca, here at County Road 9, send me a volunteer to thank and how they serve each week. I also watch for 1-2 folks myself and then I write the thank you cards before this podcast goes live. This practice has increased my love for the congregation as I get to pause and celebrate every week the faithfulness of God’s people here at Gateway.

• 5) At what point did we as Christians start to realize that the entire Bible was about Jesus?
  • I think Luke understood this and that’s why he made sure to include it in the last chapter of his gospel. 

• 6) In today’s society, we can react to our leaders’ downfalls in near-real time. Do we have any inkling to how the Jewish people responded to David’s sins? In what ways can Christians respond to leaders’ sin?
  • There were times when they experienced the consequences of his sins. (The whole census situation.)
  • There were times when their behavior was David’s consequence for his sins (his sons rebelled against him for the throne). 
  • How can we respond?
    • Pray. For the leader. For whoever’s been hurt. For your own heart as another’s fall can easily lead to our pride. For those who will be disenfranchised from the faith.
    • Remember that Jesus is the One who never fails — not your favorite pastor, Christian celebrity, author, or whoever. Sometimes we set up folks to not be able to survive a fall because we’ve lifted them too high.
    • Study church history. I once heard a pastor say, “Let all your heroes be dead Christians. That way you know their whole story.” 

Matt’s questions:

• Pronunciation of Eli’s sons’ names
  • Hophni and Phinehas
• Distinction between Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles
  • Samuel – Samuel, Saul, and David
  • Kings – covers the rest of the kings of both Judah and Israel — from Solomon on.
  • Chronicles – Retells the history of the kings, but with a distinct positive view of David (none of his flaws are mentioned, unlike in Samuel). There’s a theological reason for this, which I’ll explain in a couple of weeks when we get to First Chronicles.
• Finding moral truths in the OT…how do we not go too far or fall short in looking at moral/ethical issues (both good and bad) in the lives of these OT characters
  • I don’t know that this is an OT issue as much as a literary genre issue (because the same question is true for the NT). 
  • The question really is about historical narrative parts of the Bible in both the OT and NT — how do we not go too far or fall short looking at the moral/ethical issues in the lives of the people?
    • One, know that sometimes (often?) teaching us a moral/ethical lesson isn’t the point of the historical narrative genre (that’s often the point in epistles). Historical narratives are just telling us what happened without making many judgments about the behavior of the people (other than historical consequences due to their behavior. That’s why, for example with David, you have to take his entire life into account — including his psalms — and not just a historical moment in order to figure out a lesson that we’re to learn. 
    • Instead of looking for a moral/ethical lesson, another approach is to allow the historical narrative to answer other questions, such as:
      • Fallen humanity – when the focus of the text is on sin or suffering, faithfulness or disobedience
        • “Here’s another example of why we need a Savior!”
        • “Here’s why God sent his Son into the world!”
        • Falleness shows our need for Jesus.
      • Typological revelation – a type or shadow whose substance is Christ
        • A real person, place, object, or event that God ordained to act as a predictive pattern or resemblance of Jesus’ person and work.
        • A good study Bible will give you cross-references between the OT and NT.
      • Narrative progression – The OT is the backstory of Jesus.
        • How is this story important in the flow of redemptive history?
        • How does this story help us make progress toward Jesus?
        • Find the story’s “threat” to God’s covenant promise of redemption. Then show how God resolves the threat so that his promise moves on all the way to fulfillment in Jesus.
      • Theological theme – straightforward theological themes, attributes of God, etc…
        • Connect the theme to the person/work of Jesus.

Kids and Youth Questions:

Ephesians 6:12 talks about how we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but then lists the things we DO wrestle against. One of these things is “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” I thought that evil couldn’t be in heaven? – youth

In Mark 2:15, a student’s study Bible points out that the ‘Levi’ being referenced is Matthew. Why don’t they just say Matthew?  – 6th grade youth

Does God always forgive us?

I thought God would never leave us. But in Romans 1:24, it says he left them. We’re confused about when God will stay and when he will leave. Did God try to get the people to come to him?

1 Kings 13:4. What exactly happened to Jeroboam’s hand? Was it his hand?

What are angels? Did God make angels? What is the devil? Why do people always draw him with horns? Is he an angel that got kicked out of heaven?

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 8:1-11 (ESV)

‌DATE: 10-29-23

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main Campus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

‌We’re continuing our Finding Jesus series this weekend. This is a series where I introduce you to a book of the Bible that you may or may not be familiar with. I’ll give you an overview of the book — followed by a closer look at a particular section of it. And then — and this is what I hope will be most helpful — each week I show you how to find Jesus. Because the whole Bible is ultimately pointing us to him.

And in this iteration of our Finding Jesus series — we’re looking at the books in the Old Testament referred to as the history section. What these books have in common is that they cover historical events in the life of God’s people. Some of the books cover hundreds of years while others cover a brief period of time — but — together — they tell the history of God’s people. And — today — we’ll be looking at the book of First Kings. So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to First Kings chapter eight.

In previous weeks we’ve looked at Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and First and Second Samuel and — in the coming weeks — we’ll look at 2nd Kings as well as First and Second Chronicles. 

BACKGROUND OF FIRST KINGS

‌Now — let’s take some time to get our bearings in the book of First Kings — and I hope you’ll see that this is a book you’ll want to go read for yourself.

First, do we know who wrote First Kings? We do not. There’s a Jewish tradition which states that the prophet Jeremiah is the author due to the book of Jeremiah quoting a lot from the material we find in the books of kings — but we’re just not certain if he’s the author or not. 

And — like the books of Samuel — First and Second Kings were originally one book written on two scrolls — leading to us having a First and a Second Kings in our Bibles because there was a first and second scroll.

Do we know when the book was written? Most likely the books were written some time in the sixth century BC or later. Here’s one example — from Second Kings — that leads us to this conclusion.

2 Kings 25:27–30 (NLT)

²⁷ In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison on April 2 of that year. ²⁸ He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. ²⁹ He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. ³⁰ So the king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived.

Scholars have dated King Jehoiachin’s release from prison to be the year 561 BC and — for this event to be recorded — would mean that the original scrolls were written down after this had taken place.

What about the time period covered in the books? The content of First and Second Kings covers the time period roughly between 970 to 560 BC. Now something I’ve mentioned throughout this series is how the historical books pick up where the books of Moses end. God’s people — after being rescued out of Egypt — are led by Moses to the border of the Promised Land — but due to their lack of trust in God — instead of entering into the Promised Land — the people wander in the wilderness for forty years. Moses — along with Joshua and Caleb — arrive again at the border of the Promised Land — this time with the next generation of Israelites. But Moses’ time on earth had come to an end and God appoints Joshua to be the leader of the Israelites.

Under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites enter and conquer the Promised Land — which we looked at in the book named after Joshua. After Joshua — there was a brief period when the people faithfully served and worshiped the One true God. But then we came to the book of Judges which contains the history of the people turning their backs on God. 

Yet God — in demonstration of his love and faithfulness to his people — raised up judges who act as saviors for his people — delivering them from the consequences of their rebellion — these judges turn the people back to God again and again.

And — it’s during the time of the judges — when the story of Ruth takes place. A love story of an outsider welcomed into the family of God. And the book of Ruth ends by telling us that the son born to her — would have a descendant who would be king of God’s people. And the books of First and Second Samuel record the transition between the time of the judges to the time of the monarchy.

Samuel is a prophet called by God to anoint the first king of Israel — his name is Saul. Things don’t go well for Saul — he’s a proud man who refuses to repent of his rebellion and sin — resulting in God removing his anointing from Saul. God then tells Samuel to go to the house of Jesse to anoint Israel’s next king — whose name is David. And the books of Samuel record the lives of the first two kings of Israel — which leads us to our book — First Kings.‌

OVERVIEW OF FIRST KINGS

‌First Kings begins by covering the end of David’s life and reign as king. If you remember from last week — God established a covenant with David — a promise that he would establish an eternal throne for one of David’s descendants. Well — the two books of kings record the long history of all the kings that come after David — none who live up to God’s promise to David. And — not only do they not live up to the promise — but because of their collective leadership — the nations of Israel and Judah experience destruction and defeat. One Bible scholar suggests that the theme of the two books of kings could be phrased “the demise of the kingdom through disobedience.” So know that that’s what you read about in the books of the kings — the demise of the kingdom through disobedience.

After David’s death, First Kings records the history of Solomon’s reign as king. Solomon is David’s son and his mother is Bathsheba. Yes — God uses the worst moment in David’s life for good. In fact — this is a theme we find throughout the Bible and it highlights both the providence and the sovereignty of God. The best way to think of God’s providence is to remember that God is for us and — since he is for us — he’s working out everything for our eternal good. So God’s providence is just that — his working out all things — often behind the scenes things — for our eternal good. 

Sovereignty means that God is in charge — that he’s in control. His sovereignty is why we know he is able to work out all things for our eternal good. For example, Joseph’s brothers meant to cause him harm — by selling him into slavery — but God meant it for good — for the salvation of many (see Genesis 50:20). Or — as an example relevant to our book — though David was acting on evil, sinful inclinations in his murderous and adulterous affair with Bathsheba — even these acts were not outside of the providence and sovereignty of God. 

Now — I don’t know what you’ve got going on in your life right now — but dear Christian — and maybe this may persuade you to consider following Jesus if you’re not currently: there’s great hope in knowing that God is for you. There’s great hope in knowing that he’s working out all things for your eternal good. There’s great hope in knowing that he has the power to work out all things for your good. And — what hope there is in knowing that — since God is for you — nothing can stand against your eternal destiny.

Back to First Kings. The passage we’re going to focus on comes from the period of Solomon’s reign as king — which is recorded in the first eleven chapters of the book. A highlight from these chapters is when God tells Solomon to ask him for anything.

1 Kings 3:5 (NLT)

⁵ That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

What an opportunity, right? If God asked you, “What do you want? Ask and I’ll give it to you!” — what would you say? Here’s what Solomon said.

1 Kings 3:9 (NLT)

⁹ Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”

He could’ve asked for anything — riches, fame, you name it — but Solomon asks for wisdom so he’ll be a better king for the people of God.

1 Kings 3:10–15 (NLT)

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. ¹¹ So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies —¹² I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! ¹³ And I will also give you what you did not ask for — riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! ¹⁴ And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, where he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he invited all his officials to a great banquet.

And Solomon’s wisdom is immediately put to the test. I won’t spoil it for you — just know that the situation involves two mothers — a baby that’s alive — a baby who’s died — and there’s a dispute over whose baby is dead and alive. And Solomon’s solution involves him asking for a sword. Can you believe that there are people who think the Bible is boring? He asks for a sword!

There’s much more to Solomon’s life — but we need to move on to what happens in the rest of the book — just know that he’s a deeply flawed man — even with the gift of great wisdom that God had given to him.

Chapters twelve through sixteen record the splitting of the nation of Israel. If you’ve ever wondered why you sometimes hear the “nation of Israel” and other times hear the “nations of Israel and Judah” — well it’s because of what happens in these chapters. The nation of Israel lasts for three kings before a national split takes place. 

After Solomon’s death — his son — Rehoboam makes a decision that leads to the splitting of the kingdom. Instead of listening to the older, wiser men who counseled his father — Rehoboam takes the advice of his youthful friends. Now — the point here — isn’t a lesson about youthfulness versus old age — this is history, after all — so this is simply telling us what Rehoboam did and what happened as a result. His youthful friends happened to give him terrible advice — so terrible — that the nation splits. And this is why the two books of kings are so hard to follow. 

From this point on — when you read the two books — you’ll jump back and forth between the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah depending on which king’s story is being told. And — of course — because this is history — you may have a few kings ruling in one nation — who all reign during the time of one king — of the other nation — who happened to have a very long tenure. So back and forth we jump between the two nations — making it easy to get lost and not know where or when you are.

As a side note — this is why a chronological Bible reading plan can be really helpful. Because — get this — and to add more complications to the whole “what’s going on right now” confusion — the books of the prophets — which we’ve already covered in our Finding Jesus series — overlap with what’s happening in First and Second Kings. So not only do you have the flip flopping between the two nations — but you’ve also got other writings in the Bible that are happening at the same historical time period as our books. 

If you’re looking for a good resource to help make sense of all of this — I’ve found the New Living Translation Chronological Audio Bible to be really helpful. I listen to it as a way to keep the timeline of the Bible somewhat straight in my mind — because it’s hard to keep it all together — at least for me.

‌From chapter seventeen on — you’ll read about the various kings of Israel and Judah. The split begins with Rehoboam — in Judah — and Jeroboam — in Israel. Judah will keep Jerusalem as its capital and eventually Samaria will become the capital of Israel. The books then record the history of about twenty kings each for both Israel and Judah. And — the author of the books — essentially grades each king on how well they: 1) Led the people to worship God alone, 2) Got rid of idolatry, and 3) Were faithful to God’s covenant with his people. And — the author of the books — after passing out the report cards to the kings — fails all of Israel’s kings and only eight of Judah’s kings receive a passing grade. 

So what does all of this tell us? So much for an earthly king being an upgrade from the judges we read about weeks ago. I say this because that’s what we learn: no earthly king is able to deal with the real problem — the sinful hearts and rebellion of the people.

Though there’s much more that could be said about the two books — we’ll cover the rest next week when we look at Second Kings — taking a closer look at some prophets who play an important role in this time period.

MAIN PASSAGE

So — with that as our overview — let’s turn to the passage that we’re going to take a closer look at and discover one way to find Jesus in our book. We’re in First Kings chapter eight — beginning in verse one.

1 Kings 8:1–11 (ESV)

¹ Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. ² And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. ³ And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. ⁴ And they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. ⁵ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁶ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. ⁷ For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. ⁸ And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. ⁹ There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, ¹¹ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.‌

THE TEMPLE OF GOD

‌What a moment for the people of God, right? I mean — what a worshipful moment. They’ve made a permanent residence for the presence of God. Yet Solomon knows that there’s no containing the One true God. We know this because of the words he prays as he dedicates the temple.

1 Kings 8:27–30 (NLT)

²⁷ “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built! ²⁸ Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today. ²⁹ May you watch over this Temple night and day, this place where you have said, ‘My name will be there.’ May you always hear the prayers I make toward this place. ³⁰ May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.

Solomon knows that this temple cannot contain God — creation can’t even contain God! Yet the temple can serve as a visible symbol of God’s presence, which is what the ark has done up to this point in history. That’s why the ark is mentioned eight times in our verses — it’s represented the presence of God since the time of Moses. And now God’s presence is symbolically represented by the temple that Solomon has built. And I love the visual we’re given at the end of our verses. Once the priests had placed the ark in the temple — a cloud filled the house of the Lord — a cloud so visible that the priests couldn’t continue with their work. And the cloud is the visible presence of the glory of God.

‌This all echoes back to the time of Moses. When he led the people in the wilderness — at night — God’s glory was seen as a fire to guide them but — by day — God’s glory was seen in the form of a cloud. The presence and glory of God was their guide and — now — the temple is filled with the presence and glory of God. Again — think of what a moment this was for the people of God.‌

FINDING JESUS: THE TRUE TEMPLE

‌Now let’s find Jesus in all of this. Centuries later, the temple that Solomon had built was destroyed. Due to the rebellion of God’s people — they’re conquered by the Babylonians who will destroy the temple. After their Babylonian exile was over, the Jews returned to their homeland but never quite got the temple rebuilt to its original glory — that is — until the time of Jesus — but even then the temple didn’t live up to the memory of what Solomon had built. But — even more than the aesthetics of the temple — the hearts of the people were just as far from God as ever in their history. Thus — one day — while in Jerusalem — this occurred in the life of Jesus.

John 2:13–22 (NLT)

¹³ It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. ¹⁵ Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. ¹⁶ Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” ¹⁷ Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” ¹⁸ But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” ¹⁹ “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” ²¹ But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

The people had turned the temple into a marketplace — it was no longer the house of the Lord dedicated solely to the worship of God. And this — well — this made Jesus angry. You see, his passion for his Father’s house so consumed him that it being desecrated angered him. What about you? 

Now — we’re finding Jesus here — but I don’t want us to miss an easy application for us. Churches are not the temple — but local churches are called “houses of worship” for a reason. For this is to be a place where God’s people gather to worship him. And — yes — I know that worship isn’t just for Sunday mornings — but certainly worship includes gathering with God’s people to worship him. 

• So — if I may ask — how passionate are you for God to be worshiped in this house by his people? 
• How passionate and excited are you to come and worship God here at Gateway? 
• Are you nonchalant about it? 
• Are you passionless when you’re here? 
• I’m not saying you’ve got to raise your hands when we sing but — and I’m just speaking to followers of Jesus right now — do you even sing? 
• Is God worthy of your worship including your singing? 
• Is he worthy of your attention when his Word is opened and proclaimed — or when someone offers up prayers on our behalf? 
• Or is this some sort of marketplace of Christian goods and services where you just pick the parts you want to participate in and think doing so doesn’t — I don’t know — maybe make Jesus angry?

Jesus was holy and righteously passionate about the worship of his Father — so much so — that he prophetically spoke of the lengths to which he’d go to ensure his Father would be worshiped by you and me today. What am I talking about? Jesus’ words, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 

The onlookers couldn’t believe what they’d heard. “Three days? Really, Jesus, three days is all it’ll take you to rebuild something that’s taken nearly fifty years to rebuild?” But Jesus wasn’t talking about the physical temple — he was talking about himself — the true and better temple. For Jesus is what Solomon’s temple was always pointing to — and you know this. This is why you no longer look in the direction of Jerusalem — where the temple was located — when you pray. Instead — you look to Jesus — for he is the true temple of God.

“Well, Josh, I think you may be taking Jesus’ words a bit too far. Surely he didn’t mean that the physical temple was going to no longer be important.” I guess that depends on where your eyes are fixed — so let me fix all of our eyes on eternity.

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is given a vision of the New Heavens and New Earth. And — more specifically — in Revelation chapter twenty-one — he’s given a vision of the New Jerusalem — so the city that Solomon built the temple in will be renewed in eternity. And — after seeing the gates and the foundation stones and measuring the width, and length, and height of the New Jerusalem — John says this.

Revelation 21:22 (NLT)

²² I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.‌

In the New Jerusalem of Heaven — there will be no physical temple. Why not? Because the Lamb — Jesus Christ — is the eternal temple. Jesus is the Temple that the temple Solomon built was always meant to point us to — the temple was pointing us to Jesus — for he is where the presence and glory of God dwells.

Now — as if this isn’t enough to increase our desire to come to the house of the Lord with heart’s ready for passionate worship of our God — there’s one last truth I want to bring to our attention — and I’m sure this will be a reminder for many.

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as a stone — like a stone used when building a structure. For example, the apostle Peter writes…

1 Peter 2:4–5 (NLT)

⁴ You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. ⁵ And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

Did you notice how Peter not only refers to Jesus as a stone, but he refers to us Christians as stones that are being built into a spiritual temple? How interesting — we’re being made into a temple. And this isn’t just Peter’s idea, the apostle Paul writes…

Ephesians 2:19–22 (NLT)

¹⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

‌Jesus is the cornerstone — the most important stone of the temple — the stone by which all the other stones are set. And amazingly — we — his people — are the other stones God is using to build his holy, spiritual temple — his place of worship — the place where he lives and is present by his Spirit. 

And — now — the temple takes on an even sweeter meaning because we — together — are God’s temple — the place where God lives by his Spirit. And we’re stones of the temple because we’ve looked to the cornerstone — Jesus Christ — in faith. Trusting in him who did die — but three days later rose from the grave — demonstrating that his passion for the house of the Lord — his zeal for the place where God dwells to be holy — is now to be the passion and zeal we have as his people — living stones of a spiritual temple where God’s presence dwells. 

If you believe in Jesus — you are part of the house of the Lord — a stone in the holy place of worship where God dwells. But — you’re only a part of the house — none of us are the entire house individually — showing us why we should be passionate for these times when we all gather together to worship in the house of the Lord. This is a sacred and spiritual act that we do — for these gatherings are when the spiritual temple of God comes together — giving us a glimpse of what eternity in Heaven will be like. Let’s pray.‌

PRAYER

‌Heavenly Father, fill this place with your presence and glory. Fill us — your people — with your presence. Give us a holy, passionate, zeal for your house — for the worship of you is the reason why we exist — thus this should be where our passion is most displayed.

Holy Spirit, you are God and you are present and living in each of us who believe in Jesus. You turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh so that we become living stones in your holy temple. Increase our passion and love and joy in Jesus so that — as we gather together — we worship in Spirit and in truth.

And — Jesus — our great cornerstone — the true and eternal temple — though you were dead — three days later you rose from the grave. And — for this reason — we can say with confidence — there truly is none like you. Not in heaven — not here on earth. And — because there is none like you — you are greatly to be praised. May the words spoken and sung from our mouths, the thoughts of our minds, the actions of our hands, and the passions of our hearts be pleasing in your sight. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.‌

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

‌May you — having believed in Jesus Christ — go knowing that you are joined to him as part of his holy, spiritual temple. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (ESV)

DATE: 4-19-20

I want to welcome all of you who are joining us online this weekend. And one thing I want all of you to know is that God loves you and I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

And we’re beginning a new preaching series today. And this series was originally something I had planned for later on in the year — but given our circumstances — it seemed appropriate to move some things around on the preaching calendar. So over the next four weeks, we’re going to look at the emotions of loneliness, emptiness, anxiousness, and depression. And my goal is for us to find some help and guidance from the Bible as these are emotions that all of us — to some degree or another — are all experiencing during this global pandemic and — for many of us — we’ll continue to experience these emotions even once we’re able to resume life in a “non-social distancing — you don’t have to stay at home all of the time” kind of way.

And we’re going to begin this series by examining the emotion of loneliness. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So if you have your Bible please turn with me to the book of First Kings. We’ll be in chapter 19 looking at verses 1-18.  

We’re going to examine the emotion of loneliness by looking at a moment in the life of a man named Elijah. Now to set up our verses — in First Kings 19 — you need to know some things about Elijah and his story.

Just prior to our chapter — so this is one chapter before — chapter 18 — we read of a great showdown between Elijah — the prophet of God — and the prophets of Baal — a false god. The setting is on Mount Carmel. And this is one of the great Old Testament stories — the kids really love this one. Elijah tells the prophets of Baal that, “We’re going to have a showdown to determine who serves the true God.” And here’s how they would determine which is the real God. They would prepare a sacrifice on an altar and the God who sends down fire from Heaven will be the winner. 

So Elijah — with great confidence — lets the Baal prophets go first. And they get everything ready. And they spend most of the day dancing and doing all kinds of rituals to try and get their god to send fire down from Heaven. And at one point, Elijah gets a little cocky and tells them that maybe their god is sleeping and they need to shout louder to wake him up. But you can probably guess that nothing happens.

And then it’s Elijah’s turn. And he decides to raise the stakes. He doesn’t want there to be any doubt about whose God is the true God. So he gets the altar ready. And he has a trench dug around the altar. And he has folks bring a whole bunch of water and drench the altar and everything on it — all of the wood — the animal sacrifice — water is filling the trench and running everywhere. 

And then Elijah prays, ““O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” 38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord — he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:36b-39 NLT)

God proves that he — not Baal — is the One true God. 

Now the king of Israel’s wife — who we’ll meet in a moment — well — she hates Elijah — and if she wanted him dead before — she wants him deader than dead now.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ THE TEXT

Which leads us to the words found in First Kings chapter 19 — beginning in verse 1. 

Ahab (that’s the king) told Jezebel (his wife) all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” (In plain English — she just said, “Elijah, I want you dead.”) 3 Then he (that’s Elijah) was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he (so this is God speaking) said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he (God again) said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said (and this will sound familiar because this is what he just said a moment ago…), “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:1-18 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

So in our country, we’ve basically seen two responses to the pandemic. There have been those who have pretty much ignored the CDC guidelines concerning COVID-19 — thankfully this group has grown smaller. Now the best of this group did so because they didn’t want to be driven by fear — that’s group one. And then there are others who have become obsessed with COVID-19 — making sure they follow every guideline to the “T.” And the best of this group did so because they didn’t want to endanger themselves or others.

Now there’s something to be affirmed in both of these positions. We don’t want to be driven by fear and we do want to practice loving our neighbors — especially those who are vulnerable — by doing our best to not spread the virus.

However, both of these positions have their faults. Mainly because most of us think we’re somewhere in the middle. No one’s admitting that they’re at the extremes — meaning — none of us think we’re just flat out ignoring the CDC guidelines nor are many of us willing to admit that we’re being driven by fear alone. And I do think that more and more of us have seen that social distancing has been the best way to get through this pandemic — the whole “flattening the curve” goal we have has been working. 

But where the gospel speaks to our current situation is by its encouragement to not be driven by fear and it’s commandment to love our neighbor. The gospel shows us our responsibility to love others by practicing social distancing — yet — at the same time we do so while being confident that God is with us and is in control of all things — including the coronavirus. But what I want to speak to is how all of us are experiencing the emotion of loneliness — to some degree or another — because of our circumstances. 

Loneliness — it’s been described like sitting on a hill — looking out into the distance — but not being able to see much because there’s a cloud of fog that keeps you from seeing what’s out on the horizon. And that’s what the future has felt like for many of us — every day is kind of the same. We’re all Bill Murray in Groundhog’s Day. “What are you doing tomorrow” is pretty much a pointless question these days.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they’re watching their whole world far apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” Many of our worlds have been falling apart. Loss of jobs. Loss of retirement funds. Vacations and trips canceled. Uncertainties about graduations and other significant moments for our students. All we’ve been able to do is watch as things seem to fall apart.

And then — for many people — maybe this is you — you were lonely before the pandemic. 

• The spouse in a marriage that leaves you lonely. 
• A child whose parent has been so focused on work that you’re left feeling all alone — almost like you’re an orphan. 
• I think of the elderly who — for multiple reasons — were already living a stay at home ordered kind of life. For many of us — this stay at home life is new — but for some folks — this is every day. And hopefully this time builds a sense of compassion among us for those whose lives haven’t changed much because of the stay at home order and won’t change much after the order is lifted. 

But because of the situation going on in our world, many many more people are suffering from loneliness in a way they’ve never experienced before. And I want to offer all of us some hope in these lonely days. Especially given the fact that we’re not really sure how much longer all of this is going to go on. Yes — we’re seeing some signs of hope — what appears to be light at the end of the tunnel — but we don’t know how long we’re doing this.

One last group I want to speak to before we go back to Elijah’s story. Maybe you don’t think you’re experiencing loneliness — maybe that’s true or maybe you’re not being honest with yourself — I don’t know. But even if you’re not experiencing loneliness, you probably know some people who are. And today I want to encourage you with some ways that you can reach out and be a support to those in your life who are struggling with loneliness.

So let’s go back to this moment in Elijah’s life and see what we can learn about our situation and find some help for our loneliness. 

FEAR LEADS TO ISOLATION

And the first thing we see is this — we see that fear can lead to isolation. Fear — now it doesn’t have to — but it can lead to isolation. Let me show you this in Elijah’s story. Back to verse 1.

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. (1 Kings 19:1-5a ESV)

Elijah’s fear led to his isolation. And his isolation led — to what many see as — depression — another emotion some of us are experiencing. And this time of physical isolation has led to some of us being more prone to sickness — and I don’t mean COVID-19 sickness — our bodies are just reacting to the isolation in some physical ways — depression being one of them — which we’ll look at in a few weeks.

But Elijah’s fear of Jezebel caused him to run. And once he stopped running — he was all alone — and he wanted to die. Which — honestly — it’s kind of ironic. He wants to die — just not at the hands of Jezebel. And for some of us — that’s what all of this feels like — this isolation — social distancing — it feels like death. 

Maybe this time feels like death to you because you so love to help others and — right now — you can’t help in the ways you’re used to helping. Or maybe — due to their own fears — you’re experiencing people reject your help. And you’re feeling unwanted — maybe even unloved. First, thank you for reaching out to others. We need people like you — wonderful servants — who care about others. But know that your value isn’t based on what you can or can’t do for others — your value comes from God. And — through your faith in Christ — he looks at you and sees a son or daughter whom he loves. 

So keep reaching out to others. Go to our COVID-19 page and sign up to help — we’ll point you to folks who can use your help. But most importantly — don’t forget to let others help you. Who are you letting check in on how you’re doing?

And to show you that this goes for everyone — myself included — there’s a staff member here at Gateway who makes sure to ask me a few times a week “Josh, how are you doing?” Because we all need to be checking in with each other and allowing others to check in on how we’re doing.

But Elijah’s fear led to his isolation. And similarly — our fear can lead us into isolation. 

And though Elijah seems to be done with being a prophet — God’s not done with him. 

PHYSICAL ISOLATION BLURS INTO SPIRITUAL ISOLATION

Which leads us to the second thing we learn from Elijah’s story — that physical isolation can blur into spiritual isolation. Often we allow our physical loneliness to convince us that we’re spiritually all alone. Let’s see this in Elijah’s life first. We’re in the last half of verse 5.

And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:5b-18 ESV)

So Elijah’s physical isolation made him think that he was spiritually isolated. And this is something quite common — where we allow our physical loneliness — which is a powerful emotion — to cause us to believe that we’re spiritually isolated and all alone.

Now there are a few things that we learn from this part of Elijah’s struggle. One thing we learn is that the idea of God being some sort of distant judge up in the sky who’s out to get people — well — that doesn’t really align with the picture of God we have here. Here we see God acting like a loving, patient parent who comes alongside his prophet who’s in a difficult season of life. And this is who God is. He’s a loving and patient Father who comes alongside his children when they’re in a difficult season of life. He doesn’t abandon us. He doesn’t leave us all alone. He is always present with us — we just need to be watching for him — and listening for his voice.

But for others of us, this whole pandemic situation has just made you angry. You like to be in control and this whole situation has taken every bit of control — you thought you had — out of your hands. And why this is so frustrating or scary or whatever emotion it is that you’re feeling — well you’re feeling that way because you feel vulnerable because you have no control. But you must remember that Elijah’s God is your God — if you believe. He is the God who doesn’t betray his people. He doesn’t abandon them. He reassures them that they are not alone even when they’re in a cave all by themselves way out in the middle of nowhere. And God is wanting you to be reassured — right now — that you are not alone — even if you’re cooped up in your house all by yourself. He is there with you. 

So regardless if you’re angry — because of this whole situation — or if you’re depressed — and Elijah definitely shows a lot of signs of depression in addition to his loneliness — or if you’re anxious — regardless of what you’re feeling — here are some questions for you. 

• Do you believe that God is with you? 
• Are you allowing your physical isolation to convince you that you’re spiritually all alone?

And one last question — that’s a bit different. What is God commissioning you to do in these potentially lonely days? 

We didn’t read the rest of Elijah’s story, but after this conversation with God — Elijah gets up — and continues the work God had for him to do. What work does God have for you to do? 

And I know some of us would love for God to speak to us — maybe not with the strong winds, earthquakes, and fires — but we’d love to hear God whisper to us — “Here’s what you’re to do.” Well — you may not get that whisper — but you’ve got his Word. And do you know what this book tells you? It says, “You’ve still got plenty to do.”

WHY WE ARE NEVER ALONE

And we have to acknowledge that this kind of thinking — that we’re all alone — this thinking is an enemy of the gospel. This is what happens when we allow fear and our circumstances to drive our thinking — even our theology — more than God’s promises to us in his Word — we end up believing lies. But here’s why this kind of thinking — that you’re all alone — is an enemy of the gospel.

Just before he was betrayed — by Judas Iscariot — Jesus cleared up some things for his disciples — and they were still kind of confused — but they thought they were finally understanding what Jesus was about to do and why he was going to do it. And this is what we read in John’s gospel. 

Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. 30 Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming — indeed it’s here now — when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:29-33 NLT)

Jesus tells his disciples that they’re all going to abandon him — leaving him all alone. But — he won’t be alone. Why? Because his Father will be with him. Yet on the cross — in some sense — the Father did leave Jesus all alone as he experienced the punishment for our sins. And here’s what this all means for us.

In the gospel we see that God has chosen to be with us. And he proved his presence to us in sending his Son, Jesus. And Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would come and take up residence in us. And just before he left earth, Jesus promised to never leave nor forsake us. So God has promised to be with us — always. And in being with us, he gives us comfort and peace and hope and joy — in knowing — that we are never alone.

And the guarantee of our comfort, peace, hope, and joy — being based on the fact that we’re never alone because God is always with us — the guarantee of all this is that Jesus exchanged places with us on the cross. And on the cross, he not only exchanged places with us in taking on the punishment for our sins — but he also exchanged places with us in our loneliness. Though his disciples promised that they would never leave him — in the end — all of them abandoned Jesus — leaving him all alone. And though we often fret over and feel as if Jesus has left us all alone — we have his promise — paid for in his blood — that he is always with us. 

• Will we face trials? Jesus said we would. 
• Will we face sorrows? Jesus said to expect them. 
• But we are to take heart — why? Because Jesus has overcome the world. 
• He has guaranteed that we will be victorious over our trials and sorrows — and even victorious over our loneliness — because he took our place so we can experience the spoils of his victory.

CONCLUSION

So in this time of social distancing and forced physical loneliness — remember you are not alone. God is with you. And we — his people — are with you too. And know that God is preserving for himself worshippers — in these days — just like he was preserving for himself worshippers in Elijah’s day. 

Remember — God is with you. You are not alone. So intentionally take this time to be present with him. And take time to be present with others. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your promises to us. The promise of your presence — to always be with us — to never abandon us — is an amazing gift you’ve given to us. It’s a gift we don’t deserve. A gift we could never earn. A gift — if we’re honest — we often doubt. But our doubt doesn’t make your promise any less true. What a wonderful gift even that is. That you are true to your promises to us even when we doubt.

Jesus, thank you for exchanging places with us on the cross. Not only did you take our place in paying the penalty for our sin, but you took our place in our loneliness. You experienced abandonment. You experienced everyone walking away from you — denying that they even knew you. You experienced loneliness so that we could experience your presence — always. 

Spirit, help us to take advantage of the time we have to be present with you. To not only remember that you are present, but to experience your presence through the Word and through prayer. Lead us towards a stronger assurance that you are always with us — that we are never alone. And even when we experience loneliness — may we know that you are present — to comfort us and to give us hope. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION 

May you go knowing and experiencing the presence of God in your life — for he has promised to always be with you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.